Just Another Nightmare
by xShadowintheDarkx
Summary: It's just another nightmare, there's nothing to worry about.
1. Prologue

The city was enveloped in a warm, glowing orange, the sun slowly disappearing underneath the far off horizon. The evening was calm and peaceful, seemingly perfect to the two high school girls.

Nozomi let out a loud sigh as she stretched her arms in the air above her head.

"We sure worked hard today, Elichi." She commented as soon as she finished with her stretching.

"Yeah. I'm glad we were able to get that all that paperwork done. It'll give us less to worry about tomorrow."

"And more time for us." Nozomi said with a teasing smirk, intertwining her fingers with Eli's. She could just barely hold in her laughter as Eli's face flushed scarlet red, understanding Nozomi's implication.

"What are you thinking about, Elichi?" Nozomi chuckled, placing her free hand over her mouth in a mock fashion. "So dirty."

At this comment, Eli lost it.

"N-Nozomi!" She shouted at her, mainly from embarrassment.

"Just kidding~" She responded playfully. Eli pouted at her, her cheeks puffing, which caused Nozomi to giggle. "Anyways, since we worked so hard, how about we treat ourselves. Want to go get some parfaits?"

"Let's." Eli replied, now back to her usual, dignified self. The two continued to walk off the Otonokizaka campus and towards their routine cafe.

They continued to walk through the city, finally reaching the crosswalk by the cafe. Nozomi ran ahead, and pushed the button for the signal. She turned around at Eli and smiled.

She watched as Eli looked towards her left, and then back at her, eyes wide with what seemed was fear.

"Nozomi! Come here!" Eli screamed. In all the years they've known each other, Nozomi had never heard Eli sound terrified to this intensity. Eli's fear of the dark couldn't even compare to the fear that Nozomi saw and heard now. This left her confused. Instead of doing as Eli said, she looked at what she seemed to be so afraid of.

All she heard were the car brakes squealing, and then heard nothing. She felt nothing. She saw nothing.


	2. Reoccurring

Nozomi shot up from her bed and placed a hand over her heart, feeling its accelerated pace. Her breathing was labored and she was soaked in a cold sweat.

That dream, or rather a nightmare, felt so real. She peeked out her window just as security that it was just a nightmare. As expected, nothing was different; the birds were singing and the sun was just rising over the horizon.

As if on cue, her alarm started ringing behind her. She quickly reached over and turned it off, restoring the quiet peace of her room.

It was a Friday, according to her phone, which meant school. While most would be complaining about having to go to school, especially with such a terrible nightmare, Nozomi preferred to go. School allowed to see and be with her friends, especially the members of μ's. School allowed her to spend time with Eli, who being with gave much more comfort than the walls of her own home ever could. She couldn't wait any longer to be with her. She needed to be in her arms and reassured that everything would be alright and that it was just a nightmare.

With that in mind, Nozomi quickly prepared for school; showering, brushing her hair and teeth, and getting dressed into her school uniform. She grabbed her bag and placed it in the dining room, planning on making a quick breakfast before she left. Instead, she was surprised by the ring of her doorbell. Thinking of the one person who she was most looking forward to seeing at the doorway made Nozomi significantly happier. She hurried over to the door and opened it, where she was greeted by her blonde lover.

"Good morning, Nozomi." Eli smiled. Nozomi couldn't help but smile back, after all, she was ecstatic to see her.

"Hi, Elichi." Nozomi greeted. "Want to come inside?"

"Sure. Thank you." Eli replied, walking into her apartment. There was a short moment of silence as Nozomi was internally debating whether or not to take a short moment of selfishness.

"U-Um, Elichi?" Nozomi called, breaking the silence.

"Yes?"

"Is it alright... if you hold me?" She practically whispered. Eli said nothing, but took off her shoes and stepped up besides her. She wrapped her arms around Nozomi, holding her close to herself. She loved this feeling - the warmth of Eli's body against hers and the peace and comfort it induced.

"Is there something wrong, Nozomi?" Eli murmured. Nozomi shook her head softly, her face buried in Eli's shoulder. She moved away slightly so that she could speak clearly but still feel Eli's warmth.

"Just a bad nightmare." She answered. Eli pulled her close once again and pet her head soothingly.

"Just remember that you _will_ wake up and that I will be there for you."

Nozomi smiled and finally let go of Eli. She could feel something wet run down her face. She touched her cheek and was greeted by a steady stream of tears.

"N-Nozomi?" Eli hesitantly began. "Why are you crying?"

Nozomi sniffled and wiped the tears from her face, giving Eli a bright smile.

"I'm not so sure myself, but I guess it's because I'm so happy." Nozomi told her. Eli gave a small smile back. "Anyways, I'm about to make something small to eat before we start walking to school. Do you want anything?"

"Oh, I'm good. I made Alisa and myself something before I left for here."

"Alright. Feel free to sit down. I should be done soon." Nozomi replied.

After eating, Nozomi and Eli began to walk to school. The weather was perfect - not too warm, but not too cold - and the sky was a wonderful, light blue. She was glad she was able to spend days like this with Eli.

To make the matters even better, she felt Eli's fingers entangle hers. Just like the earlier hug, she could feel the warmth of Eli's hand transfer to hers. She came to notice how cold and empty her hands seemed without Eli's. She was glad that she was there for her, filling up her empty spaces with her love. She couldn't stop thinking how lucky she was that Eli had chosen to love her.

As always, they let go of each other's hands when they began to approach the final street to the school. Of course they weren't really embarrassed of dating each other, they just wanted to avoid any drama it could cause. They were still rising school idols, although the group was set to break up as soon as the third years graduated. They continued to walk towards the gate and onto the school campus. It was still pretty early for the most part, so only a few students could be seen. It was normal for them to be early since they often go to the student council room to make sure they had finished what they needed to.

"Good morning, Nozomi-chan, Eli-chan!" A voice called from behind them. Without even looking, they could tell who that voice belonged to. They turned around to look at the girl who called to them.

"Good morning, Honoka-chan." Nozomi said back. She looked at the two other girls on both sides of Honoka. "Good morning to you as well, Kotori-chan and Umi-chan."

"Good morning. How are you two?" Umi replied.

"We're doing pretty well, thanks for asking. And you?" Eli answered.

"Ah, the same. Anyways, we'll see you later. We must be getting in the way of the work you must attend to." Umi said.

"Oh, it's really no problem." Nozomi told them. "It's always nice to talk to you guys."

"Plus, we finished a majority of our work yesterday. We're just doing a quick check over the forms once again." Eli added. "But it would be a good idea to finish it now so we have time after school for practice."

"Mm. Let's finish it now then." Nozomi told Eli.

"Alright. We'll see you later then guys." Eli said to the second years. Nozomi and Eli turned around and continued to walk their original route to the student council room. They navigated the hallways of the school, empty aside from the occasional teacher or student. They were quiet, but it was a comfortable silence.

Once they arrived at the student council room, Eli reached into her bag and pulled out a key, unlocking the door. She opened the door and walked into the room, holding it open for Nozomi, then turning on the lights of the room. Nozomi let the door close slowly, careful to not let it slam shut. Once it closed, she continued to her seat, placing her bag on the seat besides it.

"We filled these out yesterday, so we should do a quick once over to make sure they're in the right places and properly filled out." Eli informed, grabbing the two boxes holding the forms. She placed the boxes between her and Nozomi and sat down in the seat next to her.

"Which one do you want to look through?" Eli asked, looking at Nozomi.

"With that sparkle in your eyes, I would think that you're excited to do this." Nozomi giggled. Eli's face went red for a second, but she refused to give in to her teasing. "I'll take this one." Nozomi said, still smiling from her previous tease. She slid the box closer to her and pulled out a form, Eli doing the same.

Once again, there was a silence as they reread the forms, ranging from club creation forms to requests for money. Nozomi glanced at Eli, who's seemingly cold, sapphire eyes were focused on the paperwork in front of her. Her expression reminded her of when they first met, when Eli had avoided essentially everyone.

"Is something wrong?" Eli's voice broke the silence of the room and brought Nozomi back to the current time.

"Ah, I was just reminiscing." Nozomi answered, now looking away from Eli.

"Oh? About what?"

"When you're working, you have the same expression as you did back then when we first met. It's amazing how things can change over time, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry for how stubborn I was."

"That's what made you so interesting! Plus, it made me really happy to know I was able to break through that wall and see a part of you that no one else has."

"Jeez..." Eli murmured, clearly embarrassed from the comment. Nozomi stood up and stretched, walking towards the window of the room. She peeked outside, seeing the courtyard that was slowly being filled with more students. She turned back around and looked at the clock.

"Oh, we only have five more minutes."

"Only five?" Eli asked in disbelief.

"Mhm. We should be fine though. You are always so thorough with your work, I doubt there are any mistakes anyway."

"You are just as thorough as I am, so I'm not worried that much either. Should we just start cleaning everything up?"

"Yup." Nozomi walked back to her seat and placed the papers back in their box. Eli did the same besides her. She picked up her box and placed it to it's usual location, moving out of the way for Eli to do the same.

After cleaning up, they turned the lights to the room off and started to walk to their class. The hallways were now lively with students, slowing filling in their classrooms.

They arrived at their classroom, only having a couple students sitting inside as well as the teacher sitting in their desk at the front of the room. They took their seats, Nozomi by the window and Eli towards the front of the class. The distance of their seats always made Nozomi a bit sad, but it was fine. After all, it's only for class.

When the first bell rang, students filled the room. Slowly, the seats around her filled with the familiar faces of her classmates, who she may know, but never got close to. The amount of students entering the room reduced as time passed and as the seats filled.

It wasn't surprising when the bell rang and Nico came charging into the room. Nozomi tried her best to stifle her laughter at her friend. Nico noticed this and shot her a glare before sitting a few seats behind her.

"Now that everyone's here, the majority of us on time, let's begin." The teacher said to the class. He turned to the board and began to write something down. Nozomi didn't care about it. She stared blankly at the board, resting her head on her hand. She often glanced over at the golden blonde hair towards the front of the class, but always went back to 'looking' at the board.

Soon enough, with little learning done from Nozomi, the lunch bell rang. She wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for her classmates moving out of their seats. Just as the rest of the class, Nozomi stood up, first walking over to Nico.

"Glad you were able to make it, Nicochi." Nozomi teased, recalling Nico's late entry.

"Shut up, boob monster." Nico snapped back. Nozomi giggled at the response.

"Ah, at it again, Nico?" Eli laughed, now besides Nozomi, hearing the insult. Nico scoffed and stood up from her seat.

"I'm eating lunch with Hanayo, Rin, and Maki-chan today, so I'm going to go. Bye." Nico said, walking past them and giving them a small wave.

"Alright. Have fun, Nicochi." Nozomi called back to her. She turned to face Eli. "So do you want to go to the student council room to eat or onto the roof?"

"It's a beautiful day outside, so we should go to the roof today."

"Agreed. It's the perfect day for eating outside." Nozomi said. "Shall we start going?"

Eli nodded, so the two began to walk towards the roof. As usual, they received quite a few greetings from the underclassmen and the other third years while walking through the hall.

"Wow, Elichi. You've got quite a few admirers." Nozomi joked, noticing the large amount of girls greeting her.

"That doesn't matter to me." Eli responded, seemingly a bit cold.

"Don't your fans matter to you?"

"Well, of course they matter, but not in the way they might want... I have you and I don't want anybody else." Eli answered, her voice dying down towards the end. Nozomi felt her face heat up and when she looked at Eli, her face was red as well.

"Jeez, Elichi..." Nozomi mumbled, too embarrassed, but happy, herself to come up with a better response.

They continued to walk, finally reaching the roof. Just like the morning, the sky was a cloudless, light blue. The roof itself was clear of people, the majority of the school's students eating in their classrooms or elsewhere on campus. Nozomi closed the door behind her and followed Eli around the corner where she sat down on the floor against the wall.

Nozomi slid down the wall and sat besides her, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small bread bun. She looked over at Eli, not surprised by her lunch box with foreign foods she only knew of due to their friendship throughout high school.

"That's... pelmeni, right?" Nozomi asked, unwrapping her her bread bun and taking a bite out of it.

"Mhm. They're simple to make and quite delicious. I always make a lot so Alisa and I have an easy lunch for school." Eli answered. "Do you want some?"

"Oh, only if you don't mind it."

"Of course I don't mind! I love sharing my food with you. I did pack a little more than usual as well..." Eli told her. She picked one up with her chopsticks and held it for Nozomi. "Say ah~"

"Thanks for the food!" Nozomi chirped, eating the pelmeni from her chopsticks. "Mm, this really is delicious, as always." Eli laughed at the compliment.

"Thank you, Nozomi. You can have as many as you'd like."

The two continued with their meal, finishing everything before the bell rang. Nozomi leaned her head on Eli's shoulder and shut her eyes.

"Today's a really nice day. Other than that nightmare, everything's just been perfect. I'm glad that we're able to relax here together." She said. Eli rested her head atop Nozomi's.

"Yeah. It feels good to be able to relax like this every once in a while." Eli agreed. She grabbed one of Nozomi's hands in hers. Nozomi smiled and leaned closer into her.

"Ya'know, I could really just fall asleep like this." Nozomi sighed, already starting to feel sleep consume her.

"Go ahead. We still have plenty of time before the bell rings. I can wake you up when it's time to leave." Eli told her. Nozomi just hummed in response.

Nozomi knew she was asleep when she was greeted by the same scenario as her nightmare. She knew exactly what was going to happen, but couldn't change anything. Everything followed the same exact order.

Once again, she ran up to the post and pressed the button for the crosswalk. Once again, she heard Eli's terrified scream and once again, she heard the squealing of the tires before she felt nothing at all. Nozomi tried to wake up, but her body was being cruel to her, forcing her to continue with the terribly realistic nightmare.

" _Please wake up! Nozomi! Nozomi, please!_ " A distorted voice that sounded like Eli's begged. Her vision was still black. The voice continued calling for her. " _Nozomi, wake up! Nozomi!"_

"Nozomi!"

Nozomi slowly opened her eyes and was met with Eli's worried ones. Eli's hands were on her shoulders, shaking her as an attempt to wake her up. She could see a slight wave of relief wash over Eli's face, though she still looked concerned.

"Eli...chi?"

"Nozomi, are you alright? You started hyperventilating and sweating, and when I shook you, you didn't wake up. I didn't know what to do..." Eli spoke, noticeably anxious. Nozomi ran the back of her hand across her forehead, feeling the sweat.

"I... don't know. It was the same nightmare as this morning. It feels so real, Elichi." Nozomi said back, unsure of what this meant. Anyone would get bad omens from a reoccurring nightmare like this, but with being a spiritual person herself, it was significantly worse. "I know this sounds crazy, but what if something like my nightmare is going to happen sometime soon?"

Eli hugged Nozomi.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Eli backed up and grabbed Nozomi's hands. "Try not to think about it too much. For now, let's just start heading to class. If it's alright with you, I'll spend the night as well. I'm sure Alisa will understand."

She stood up, bringing Nozomi up with her. She felt terrible, her nightmare making her uneasy and anxious.

"Yeah... Thank you, Elichi."

Throughout the rest of the school day, Nozomi couldn't get her mind off that nightmare. It didn't sit right with her. Thankfully, she wasn't called on in class because she wasn't paying any attention. She didn't know if it was a good thing when the final bell dismissed the class. The first thing Eli did was come to her desk.

"Are you feeling better at all?" Eli knelt down besides her. She could see the concern in Eli's eyes.

"Not really, but it's alright"

"Hey, Eli, Nozomi. What's going on?" Nico asked, walking towards them.

"It's nothing, Nicochi."

"Nozomi. You and I are going to head home so you can relax and be pampered by me." Eli said, completely disregarding Nico. "I already texted Alisa that I was going to stay the night."

"Oh god, Eli." Nico groaned, slapping a hand onto her face. "I'm gonna try to forget I heard that. I'm assuming something really is up then?"

"Nozomi has been having a nightmare." Eli answered her simply.

"But what about practice?"

"I don't know how badly a nightmare could affect you, but if Eli's worried, it must be something. I guess I can tell the rest of μ's. They'll probably understand, seeing you guys hardly ever take days off like this." Nico sighed.

"You would do that?" Nozomi asked, looking up at her from her seat.

"Of course. If something really is wrong, we would want you to be better as soon as possible, and we can rely on Eli to do that for us."

"Thank you, Nico."

"I-It's only natural that super idol Nico-nii helps out her friends when they need it." She said, smiling and doing her signature hand gesture. "I have to go now so I won't be late for practice. See you guys later!" Nico grabbed her bag and ran out the door.

"I believe we're good to go." Eli said, standing back up. Nozomi packed her bag and stood up as well.

"Alright. Let's go then." Nozomi replied.

The two walked through the hallways and off campus, along with the many other students who weren't staying after school. Nozomi looked around her. The situation wasn't anything like the dream, but she was still nervous. She sighed and tried to stop worrying about it, thinking she was just being paranoid.

Although there were still students still behind them, Eli took Nozomi's hand, holding it softly in hers.

"Elichi?"

"It's fine. It's only a few people." Eli said back in her usual, cool voice. Nozomi looked up at her, Eli smiling back. Nozomi felt her cheeks heat up a tiny bit, but she just looked back forward and held Eli's hand.

"Elichi, you're really great, you know that?"

"I'm not that great... I'm just giving the love that someone as amazing as you deserves."

"Nope, you really, truly are the best, Elichi." Nozomi continued. "I'm really glad you came to love me after these years we've been together."

"I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner. If it wasn't for Nico, I probably wouldn't have said anything at all."

"You are pretty dense when it comes to love sometimes." Nozomi teased. Eli blushed from embarrassment at the comment. "But that's what makes you cute."

They continued to walk towards Nozomi's apartment. Nozomi was still on edge, her nightmare replaying vividly in her mind whenever they reached a crosswalk. Luckily, Eli was there for her, doing her best to calm her nerves in the ways that she could. With Eli by her side, she was able to make it home.

She unlocked the door to the apartment, walking inside with Eli following behind her. She flipped the light switch, illuminating the hallway. Now that she was back in her home, she would've thought this feeling would have died down, but that wasn't the case. Something still ached inside of her.

She felt Eli's warmth envelope her body.

"Hey Nozomi... Try not to think about it too much, okay? Today, and for the rest of the time until this stops, I'll be here for you." Eli placed a kiss on the top of her head. Nozomi turned around and hugged Eli back. Just like in the morning, tears began to fall, but this time, they wouldn't stop. The interaction was quiet aside from Nozomi's muffled sniffles. She stayed like that, letting the tears fall until they couldn't anymore.

"I-I'm sorry, Elichi. I don't know why I started to cry."

"It's- al-right." Eli said in a playful tone, trying to bring the mood back up. "Let's get ourselves situated and then we can do whatever you want, okay?" Eli wiped the tears from Nozomi's eyes and kissed her on the forehead.

Nozomi nodded, taking off her shoes and walking further into her home. She walked down the hall to her room, setting her school bag besides her desk. Eli did the same, having been to Nozomi's house multiple times and knowing how things went.

"So, what do you want to do?" Eli asked.

"Would it be alright if we just lay down and maybe watch some TV for a little bit?"

"Of course."

Eli stood by the room door, motioning for Nozomi to go ahead before her. Nozomi did so, walking to her couch and sitting down on it. Eli soon sat down besides her.

"Hey, Nozomi, can you get up for a second?"

"Sure. Why?" Nozomi asked, getting up from her seat and turning around to look at Eli. Eli adjusted herself so that she was laying across the couch. She patted the spot on the couch next to her.

"Come lay down now."

Nozomi couldn't refuse. One of her favorite things to do was to lay like this with Eli because the way she held her made her feel so safe. She carefully laid herself against Eli, who helped by pulling her closer.

For Nozomi, the whole rest of the afternoon was wonderful. After looking through the channels, the two decided to watch a movie. Eli also made Nozomi dinner which, for the time they've been together, didn't happen often. Afterwards, they took showers, this time separate ones, before getting ready for bed.

The bed was small for two people, but they always made it work. Nozomi got into bed first, moving closer to the side so that Eli could comfortably fit as well. Since Eli was afraid of the dark, she left her desk lamp on for a small light source. Eli turned off the lights and scooted into the bed besides Nozomi.

There was a silence as they laid on the bed in the somewhat dark room. Nozomi was nervous, afraid, to go to sleep. She didn't want to experience that nightmare for a third time. She heard the sheets shifting besides her, and was met by Eli's eyes. She felt Eli grab one of her hands from under the blanket.

"You will be alright, Nozomi. Remember, I'll be right here by your side when you wake up." Eli comforted. She gave her hand a soft squeeze.

"Thank you, Elichi... Good night then."

"Good night, Nozomi." Eli replied. Nozomi laid on her back and shut her eyes. She waited. When a few minutes past, she opened her eyes once again, not ready to fall asleep. She looked over at Eli, who was sleeping on her side, still holding Nozomi's hand, though the grip loosened. Nozomi closed her eyes once again.

She knew she fell asleep when she found herself in the familiar situation. She knew exactly what would happen, but all she could do was watch, almost as if she was watching a movie from the actor's point of view. She tried to close her eyes, but she couldn't. Every time it happened, she felt the same terror. She waited for the car to hit her, so that the dream could just be over, but it didn't end there as it usually did, it continued on.

This time, she saw herself, as if her soul had left her body. She looked away as quickly as she could. Seeing herself in such a condition was vomit-inducing, something that could scar someone for the rest of their life. She knelt down on the ground, feeling sick from the sight. She tried her best to wake up, but she couldn't. Nothing she did worked. Tears began to stream down her face, the image behind her printed in her mind. She heard Eli's voice once again, though she want able to make out clear words. She glanced towards the direction it came from, only to see Eli sobbing violently and speaking a seemingly foreign language into her phone.

Nozomi stood up and began to walk towards her, suddenly realizing the distance between the spot they were at before. She slowly broke out into a sprint, trying to get closer to her. With every leap she took forward, she only seemed to get farther away from Eli. She became to hear whispers, whispers that intensified as the seconds passed. Soon, she was able to make out Eli's voice.

 _Nozomi, wake up! Please! Wake up!_

 _You will wake up and when you do, I'll be here for you._

 _It's just a nightmare._

She recalled these phrases as ones she heard throughout the day. They were distorted, like they were echoing off the walls of her mind. Everything slowly started to fade, Eli in the distance in front of her and the taunting voices. She tried to shout but all that came out was a raspy gasp. She reached once more towards her, but then everything disappeared.

Nozomi woke up with a jolt. Everything was still dark, just as it was before she went to sleep. Eli was still fast asleep, peaceful unlike herself. A sudden wave of sickness rushed over her. Nozomi quickly got out of bed, careful to not wake Eli, and ran to her bathroom. She threw herself over the toilet, gagging as the sight of her body after the crash materialized in her mind once again.

She backed away once her gagging stopped, luckily having nothing come out. She sat against the wall and started to cry, stifling her sobs with her hand. She didn't want to sleep. After what she saw, she couldn't sleep. She knew it was just a nightmare, but it was so real, it felt real to her.

Nozomi just sat there, crying in the darkness of her bathroom. She couldn't see that ever again. She just couldn't.


	3. All In My Head

Nozomi refused to sleep. Even with Eli's comfort, there's no way that she could clear her mind of the image of her disfigured body. Along with that, Eli couldn't stay the whole weekend with her because she still had to take care of Alisa. Nozomi didn't want to be the cause of Alisa being left alone. After the first night, Nozomi practically forced Eli to go home, assuring her that she would be fine without her, which wasn't exactly true.

Nozomi didn't sleep for the whole weekend. Come Monday, she felt like a zombie. As always though, she tried not to make anyone worry any more than they had already and came to school with a smile.

She knew that if that was a 'vision' of the future, it wouldn't happen in the morning on the way to school or when she was by herself. That belief allowed her to walk herself to school. She didn't walk with Eli, not wanting her to see her just yet because she knew she would see right through her. She didn't want to bother her any more than she had already.

As planned, she made it safely to school. She was early, but still went right to the classroom anyways. She sat down at her desk and looked out the window, resting her head on her hand. Only a few students were walking through the gate, none of them Eli. She rubbed and her eyes and yawned. She really was absolutely exhausted. She knew that sometime soon she would have to sleep, but that time didn't have to be now.

She could recall every second as if it really happened. She didn't know what it meant. It was possible that it was just a reoccuring nightmare, but it just didn't _feel_ right. Something inside her told her that it wasn't as simple as that.

"Hey, Nozomi, are you alright?"

She was confused by the sudden voice, the room being empty seconds before without any signal of the door opening. She then realized that her head was resting on her arms, face against the desk.

"Wha...? Was I asleep...?" Nozomi mumbled. She sat back up slowly and looked around the room, meeting eyes with Eli, who had managed to find her in the school. She couldn't even remember falling asleep. However, the quick nap managed to make her feel completely rejuvenated.

"It looked like it. I was a bit worried because you didn't answer my texts." Eli answered. She noticed the bags under her eyes. "Did you get any sleep last night?"

"Ah... Not really." She replied, looking away from her, too ashamed to look her lover in the eyes.

"Nozomi, I know it's scary, but you really need to get enough sleep. If it'll help, I'll willingly be by your side whenever you feel like you need me. I might not be able to stay over every night, but maybe you can come over to my place, although it won't be just the two of us."

"No. It's alright. You don't need to worry, Elichi."

"I will worry because I love you. There's no way your problems will bother me because all I want to do is make sure that I can help fix them so you're happy once again."

"Thanks..."

The first bell rang and students began to enter the room, ending their privacy. Along with the students, their teacher entered as well.

With so much from her mind with her nightmare, she once again spent the day with her mind elsewhere, and once again, she was lucky enough to not be called on. Something about the situation didn't feel right, though. Usually she would be the one called on but it seemed like she wasn't even being noticed today. Nozomi paid it no further mind. With her current situation, this was for the best.

When the final bell rang, Nozomi had already made up her mind to go to μ's practice. Along with not wanting to miss any more practice days, she also wanted to see her friends, who she felt the happiest with. If she were tired, which she thought she would've been with practically three nights of minimal to no sleep, she would've stayed back from practice, but that small nap seemed to fill her with the energy she needed for the day.

She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, walking towards the exit of the class.

"Nozomi, are you going to practice?" Eli asked, catching her at the exit.

"Yup. I'm not all that tired anymore and I don't want to miss another day. I'll be fine, Elichi. I think it would be better for me to go anyways and hopefully get everything off my mind." Nozomi answered, continuing to walk to the club room with Eli alongside her.

"Are you sure? If you didn't get much sleep, I wouldn't want you to work yourself too much..."

"I'm fine, Elichi, really. Don't worry." She looked into Eli's eyes and smiled, trying to convince her.

"Alright... Don't push yourself too much and sit down if you need to."

"Okay, okay."

"Hey!" Nico called from behind them. Nozomi stopped and turned around. "Thanks for waiting." She added sarcastically.

"Sorry, Nico." Eli laughed. Once Nico was by their side, they began walking again.

"So you're going to practice today?" Nico asked.

"Yup."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" She asked once again. She was nonchalant about it, but Nozomi knew Nico really worried.

"Yup. I'll be fine and Elichi already discussed this, so don't worry."

"I'm not worried, just curious." Nico defended. Nozomi giggled at her reaction, Nico always being too stubborn to admit she actually cares. "Anyways! We're still practicing the same steps from Thursday. Nothing much has changed, but we'll slow down on the parts that have for you guys."

They arrived at the club room and changed into their practice clothes, heading to the roof afterwards. They weren't the first ones to arrive, the first-years already beginning their stretches.

"Hi Maki-chan, Rin-chan, and Hanayo-chan." Nozomi greeted upon seeing them for the first time for three days.

"Oh, Nozomi. How are you feeling?" Maki asked, continuing to stretch her arms. Before she could say anything, Rin came shouting.

"Nozomi-chaaaaaan!" She whined as she clung onto Nozomi. "We missed you, nya! Maki-chan was super worried!"

"R-Rin, what are you saying?!" Maki shouted at her. Rin continued to cling onto Nozomi, rubbing her face against her arm.

"Now, now Rin-chan. It was only three days. I only missed one day of practice, so there's no need to act this way." Nozomi told her.

"R-Rin-chan, Nozomi-chan and the others need to stretch." Hanayo faintly called out to her. Rin hummed and finally let go of Nozomi.

"Okay, Kayochin. Let's stretch more too then, nya!"

Nozomi smiled. She loved how Rin was always so full of energy and happy. She began to walk to her usual spot, Eli besides her. Nico went the other way to her usual practice partner, Maki.

Not long after, the second-years arrived. After a few more minutes of stretching, they finally began. Nozomi could clearly remember her spot and steps, which she hoped didn't change too much. Everyone got in their places, besides Umi who was leading the practice as always. With the call of Umi's voice, they began.

Nozomi followed what she remembered from the last time she was at practice, keeping in rhythm with Umi's claps and shouts. Her vision, however, began to betray her. She was doing her best to concentrate on Umi, who began to warp and blur. Her sound of her voice began to fade, and she could feel her balance start to fail her.

She clinched her eyes shut, hoping that once they opened again, her vision would be back to normal. She immediately regretted the decision. She saw the car, feeling herself hit the floor when the car hit her, and soon later saw her malformed body once again. She heard the worried shouts of Eli, just like in the nightmare, and then the voices of the other girls around her.

She could feel her heart pounding against her chest and she felt like her face had gotten much colder. When she was finally able to open her eyes everything was black, but with a few more blinks, it started to clear up to the faces of her panicked friends.

"Nozomi, are you alright?!" Eli just about shouted. "Why didn't you sit out if you started to feel bad?"

Nozomi made an attempt to stand up, slowly making it to her feet before wobbling as she tried to stand straight.

"Slow down there. Stay sitting for a bit. That was a pretty hard fall." Maki told her, holding her shoulder to prevent her from standing up any further.

"Here, Nozomi, drink some of my water." Umi said, handing her a water bottle. Nozomi wasn't all that thirsty but she knew that they wouldn't let her up until she did. She took the bottle and took a gulp of it before handing it back. She tried to stand back up again, this time with Maki assisting her.

"I'm sorry I caused everyone to panic. I'm alright though, so don't worry about it." Nozomi said once she was able to stand without support.

"You don't need to apologize for it. You just have to take care of yourself and make sure you take a break when you need to." Nico replied.

"Perhaps you should rest, Nozomi. It's best to wait until you're in full health once again before you start practicing so no incidents like this happen. It'll be just fine if you miss a couple days." Umi told her. "Eli could go as well if you wish."

Nozomi was ready to insist that she would be okay, but she knew after this, no one would believe her.

"Alright, thank you, Umi-chan. I'm sorry to have to miss another day of practice."

"Nozomi-chan, it's okay! We all want you to get better, so there's no need to worry!" Kotori comforted.

"Nozomi, I'm going to come along with you. I don't know what will happen if you're alone, so I'm going to be by your side just to make sure you're safe." Eli said. There was no way Eli would change her mind.

"Okay, Elichi. I'll see you tomorrow then, everyone. See ya." Nozomi said to the group. She and Eli began to walk back to the club room to grab their belongings and change before heading out.

"Hey, Elichi? Do you think we can stop by the Kanda Shrine?" Nozomi asked, changing out of her practice clothes and into her uniform once again.

"Of course."

The two changed back into their uniforms and headed out of the school. For some reason, there was a pit of emptiness that she could feel inside of her, a pit that seemed to consume her more and more as the days passed. It didn't feel right, and she wanted to know why she felt that way.

The two arrived at the staircase, filled with memories of µ's practices, and began to walk up to the shrine. There were only a few people, but the shrine did seem to gain popularity once µ's did. Nozomi walked to the offerings box and threw in a couple coins, before closing her eyes and clapping.

 _Please show me, let me know what this all means._

She stayed like that for a couple seconds, only opening her eyes when she heard the coins rattle into the box once again. From besides her, Eli did the same, clapping and closing her eyes, making some type of wish.

"Alright, are you ready to go now?" Eli asked once she finished with her prayer.

"Mhm. Let's go home."

Instead of Eli going to Nozomi's place, Nozomi decided to stay at Eli's. She knew that Eli still had to watch over Alisa and didn't want to trouble her by taking her big sister away for yet another night.

When the time came for them to sleep, Nozomi was reluctant. They laid together on Eli's bed, facing each other.

"Nozomi, you really need to sleep." Eli whispered, not wanting to speak loud enough to wake up Alisa in the room besides hers.

"Elichi, I can't."

"You can. I won't let anything happen to you while I'm by your side, so don't worry. You'll be alright." She whispered back. "Come here."

She could see Eli hold out her arms with the help of the faint glow of a nightlight. Nozomi scooted into her welcoming arms.

"Please try to sleep, alright? I don't want you to get hurt anymore." Eli murmured, sleep overtaking her. Nozomi didn't answer, instead closing her eyes in an attempt to sleep.

She woke up to the sound of Eli's alarm, though Eli wasn't besides her. She was glad she didn't experience her nightmare once again. Maybe praying to the gods really did help. She turned the alarm off and began to change into her school uniform. Once she was dressed and presentable, she went to look for Eli.

Her search ended quickly, finding her in the kitchen making breakfast.

"Good morning, Elichi."

"Oh, good morning, Nozomi." Eli greeted. "I'm almost done, so feel free to just sit down."

Eli finished soon after Nozomi sat down at the dining table. They ate their breakfast and began to walk to the school. It was a quiet morning, and Nozomi actually felt more at rest since she was able to get some sleep without seeing that horrible dream.

As always, they were early to school. Although they had already finished all of their work, they headed to the student council room to spend the time before classes started. Hardly anyone ever came in the student council room before school, and they just wanted some quiet time to speak with each other a bit.

"I'm really glad you were able to sleep well last night." Eli said, sitting on the edge of the table, facing Nozomi.

"It's only because you were there with me..." Nozomi answered, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed at the statement. She looked down at the floor trying to hide her embarrassment somewhat. She heard Eli hop off the table and then felt her warm embrace.

"Nozomi, how are you so cute sometimes?" At the comment, Nozomi felt her face heat up. She felt Eli's hand gently guide her chin up so they could look at each other. For what felt like the first time in forever, Eli's lips met with hers. She missed that feeling of Eli's soft lips gently pressed against hers. She felt her embarrassment melt away as she melted into the feeling of the kiss.

It was Eli who ended it, only parting when the lack of oxygen because to kick in.

"Well, I'll always be here when you need me." Eli whispered, leaning her forehead against Nozomi's. "Because I love you."

"Mm. I love you too, Elichi."

The two stayed like that until the bell rang, Nozomi mainly wanting to enjoy the moment as she could. They walked to class, which wasn't too far from the student council room. They arrived at their classroom, still managing to get in before most of the others. They sat down in their seats and waited for class to begin.

As always, they went through the morning roll call. Nozomi waited for the teacher to call her name so she could respond, but for some reason she was skipped. She didn't mind it though, after all, he only marked down those who were absent.

Since she was actually feeling up to it today, she decided to actually pay attention to the lesson in class. She pulled out her notebook, her pencil tumbling out onto the floor besides her. It continued to roll out of her reach, underneath the desk of the person besides her. Nozomi would've thought that person would've at least looked to see what fell down at her feet, but she didn't even glance down at it.

"Excuse me, would you mind getting my pencil for me?" Nozomi asked in a quiet voice, trying to not disturb the teacher's current lesson. The girl didn't even turn her head, almost as if she didn't even exist.

"Alright, I'm going to go down there and get it myself then..." She whispered, not getting an answer from her. Nozomi got out of her seat and reached under the girl's desk to grab her pencil. She sat back down in her seat, successfully retrieving her pencil without disturbing anyone. She opened up her notebook and put her attention back onto the board.

Something didn't feel right about today, her teacher and classmates seemingly ignoring her. The only person she actually talked to today was Eli, who obviously did know she was there. Why was everyone else ignoring her then?

Nozomi began to tap her pencil on her desk, attempting to achieve some type of response from someone around her, whether it was negative or not. She continued to stare at the board, tapping her pencil rapidly on the desk, to no prevail. Besides a single cough, there was no response.

Seeing this, Nozomi tried to step it up a notch. She set her pencil down on her desk and began to cough as well. She continued to cough obnoxiously loud, clearly gaining the attention of Eli from across the room, but no one else. She stopped and looked back towards the front of the classroom.

She was confused as to why no one noticed her but Eli. Maybe it was just a prank they were pulling on her?

It couldn't be. The people in her class would never do something like this, and the teacher would have been bound to say something to her after all that coughing. She knew something wasn't right. She could feel it inside of her, the same feeling that has been aching inside her since she woke up four days ago. She closed her eyes, debating on whether to do the clearly idiotic thing she was thinking of.

She mustered up all the courage she could inside of her and suddenly stood up from her seat.

"HEY!" She shouted as loud as she could, her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes, she expected to see her teacher and classmates staring at her, but was greeted by the opposite; her teacher was still writing on the chalkboard and all of her classmates, other than Eli, were still diligently writing in their notebooks.

Nozomi didn't know how she felt. She was in disbelief with the situation. Time seemed to slow down as she realized that she was practically didn't exist to anyone in this classroom, except Eli. She leaned her hands on her desk and closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing that began to become disarrayed. She opened her eyes and looked over at Eli, who was looking back at her from her seat with clear panic on her face.

Once Nozomi calmed herself down the most a person could do in a situation as outrageous and terrifying as this, she walked over to Eli, leaving her bag and everything at her desk, knowing she now had no use for them.

"E-Elichi... What's happening?"

Eli looked around from her seat and stood up as well. She watched her classmates, seeing that she also seemed to be nonexistent to the class.

"I... don't know." Eli said back. She moved in front of the student that was behind her and waved a hand in front of her face, earning absolutely no response. "Nozomi, let's get out of here. We can figure this out somewhere else."

Eli grabbed Nozomi's hand and began to run out of the classroom. Nozomi looked back inside of the room, looking at Nico. Even her, one of her close friends, didn't see her. The thought brought a tear to Nozomi's eye as she continued to run with Eli out of the school.

They only stopped running when they reached the front courtyard of the school. Eli turned around and looked at the front of the school.

"I really can't believe this whole thing is happening." Eli got out between breaths, a bit tired from the running. "But we're in this together and we will figure this out."

"This really is scary, so I'm glad you're here with me. I don't know what I would do if you weren't..." Nozomi murmured, looking back at the school alongside Eli. Once again, Eli hugged her.

"Don't think about it too much. I _am_ here for you and we will get through this, whatever it is." Eli told her. She let go of Nozomi, taking hold of her hand instead. "For now, let's just head to your place so we can think."

Eli smiled at her in an effort to raise her spirits. Nozomi smiled weakly back and began to walk towards her home.

"Elichi, isn't it hard to think about how our existence seems to be wiped out, even from the ones we loved the most?" Nozomi asked her as they continued to walk down the sidewalk. "Like with Nico, even she couldn't see us... It's probably the same with the rest of μ's and our family..."

Nozomi looked up at Eli's face, which seemed to be in deep thought.

"Yeah, it is a bit, but we just have to push ourselves harder to make sure we can be a part of everyone's lives again."

Nozomi hummed in agreement. She didn't know how it would happen, but she couldn't give up for her friends in μ's.

The two continued to walk hand-in-hand all the way back to Nozomi's apartment. It was still early morning, the two having all the time in the world to try to think of something. When they reached Nozomi's apartment, Nozomi made a beeline to her room, where she melted into her bed.

She was mentally drained from everything that has been happening. It was crazy how things could change so drastically over the span of a couple days.

"Nozomi, do you want to go to sleep?" Eli asked from the doorway of her room, where she was peering in.

"I think I just need a quick nap to prepare myself for everything..." Nozomi's eyes were closed and her hand was resting on her face. She sighed, thinking about everything. While she had finally been saved from the terrible nightmares, or so it seems, now this happens. Comparing the two choices, Nozomi chose the nightmares over everyone forgetting she existed.

"I'm going to lay down besides you, if you don't mind. I want to be by your side through this." Eli said, her voice getting closer by the second. She felt her bed dip as Eli moved onto the bed besides her. Nozomi snuggled close to Eli, as she has been the past couple nights they spent together. She knew she was being clingy, but she needed the comfort in such a bizarre time like this.

She shut her eyes in an attempt to sleep, tears falling from her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time the past couple days. It hurt. It hurt to know not even Nico could see her, that she was gone from the people she loved. She was glad that somehow Eli was here for her, although she was in the same boat, but it still couldn't erase the fact that she was the single person that could. She continued to soundlessly cry, the tears just falling on their own accord, until she finally fell asleep.

She knew she was dreaming when she was greeted by the increasingly familiar road. At this point, she didn't even care. She continued on the path to the crosswalk, watched as the car hit her, and waited for her vision to come back so she could see her body lying on the ground.

That didn't happen. Her body remained completely numb, her sight and hearing still not functional. It felt like forever before she heard something, although it wasn't exactly pleasant. She heard the blaring of a siren and Eli sobbing, almost as if she was talking to someone. She tried to move but there was no response. She could feel her heart thump against her chest, slowly and labored.

It felt real.

Was it real?

It couldn't be, could it?

The siren and Eli's voice slowly died down, instead being replaced by those echoes.

 _Nozomi, please wake up... Please, Nozomi..._

 _I'll be by your side when you wake up..._

 _We will get through this..._

 _Please..._

Nozomi opened her eyes at the final word. She was still embraced in Eli's arms.

Something didn't feel right. This wasn't right. Nothing here was right. She moved herself away from Eli and sat up in her bed.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be.

"Nozomi, what's wrong?"

Nozomi ignored her, instead getting off of her bed and walking out of the room. She heard that Eli was following behind her. She walked to her kitchen and turned the lights on. She looked around and spotted what she wanted; the knife resting in its block. She strode over to it, grabbing it and holding it over her stomach.

"Nozomi, w-what are you doing? Don't do that!" She heard Eli call from behind her. She could hear her footsteps quickly approach her, definitely trying to stop her from what she was about to do.

"This isn't real."

With that, she drove the knife into her stomach. She looked down, feeling absolutely no pain.

She knew it.

Where the knife had supposedly stabbed her, a hazy gap had formed, her body forming a hole for the knife.

As if that flipped a switch, the world around her began to spin. She dropped the knife to the ground and fell to her knees, the swirling causing her to be nauseous. She shut her eyes tight and once she opened them again everything was a pure white, void of anything but herself.

She looked behind her where Eli was, surprised to see that she was still there, the only one with her in this empty dimension.

"What... is this?" Nozomi asked cautiously.

"It doesn't matter. Nozomi, you have to get out of here, you have to wake up." Eli replied, taking a step towards her. "I'm sorry I couldn't say anything sooner. Because you didn't know, I didn't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Nozomi, you now know this isn't real. Everything that happened the past couple days isn't real. Those dreams you've been having... those are what are real."

Nozomi went silent. She couldn't believe it. Something like that had actually happened...

"You have to get out of here, Nozomi. _Please._ " Eli begged. "You can't be here any longer.'

"H...How do I get out..?" Nozomi murmured, still in complete disbelief. Eli walked closer and pointed behinds her.

"That way. Just run, and whatever you do, don't you dare look back." Eli said. She grabbed her hands and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"What about you, Elichi?" Nozomi asked, beginning to tear up.

"Just like this world, I'm not real. My only job is to make sure you get back." Eli smiled weakly. "Just know, the real me, the one who has been waiting all this time, is still waiting for you on the other side. Remember, don't look back... Now go." Eli turned Nozomi around and gave her a gentle push with her hand. Nozomi hesitated at first, searching for something in the white emptiness in front of her.

A tear fell down her cheek as she launched forward. She ran with all her might into the void in front of her, careful to do as Eli said and not look back. The closer she ran, the brighter the white light got, causing her to need to block her eyes with her hand. With one final leap, the brightness blinded her, causing a loud ringing in her ears. She pushed through, determined to see what awaited her past this.

...

...

...

She opened her eyes, a slow process that challenged her. She squinted as her eyes were greeted by the bright light on the ceiling above her. She didn't recognize the light or the ceiling, but when she tried to move her head to look around, she found herself unable to.

"N-Nozomi?!" A voice gasped from besides her. She recognized that voice. The sound of a chair scraping across a tiled floor filled her ears and her vision, which was still adjusting to everything around her, was filled with the sight of the blonde girl.

It could've just been her eyes playing tricks on her, but something seemed different about her. Something about her face had changed; it seemed longer, more mature.

"Oh my God, Nozomi, I can't believe it... I really can't believe it..." She sobbed, a hand covering her mouth and tears streaming down her face. She moved closer and gently held Nozomi's cheeks, planting multiple kisses all around her face. While she looked different, this was unmistakably Eli, her lover.

Nozomi tried to call out her name, but all that came out was a quiet croak. Her eyes began to water as well, suddenly becoming so filled with emotion that they couldn't be contained.

"Nozomi, I'll be right back, okay? I'm going to get a doctor, but I'll be back very soon." Eli choked, kissing her one last time on the forehead before running off.

Doctor. After hearing the word, she knew exactly where she was.

She could feel the tears streaming down her face now and she wanted to say something, to sob and let all her emotions out, but no sound would come out of her mouth. She tried to move her body, but it refused to listen to her.

With the sound of the door being slammed open, she heard two pairs of footsteps. She tried her best to move, successfully managing to turn her head slightly to the side to see who it was. She saw Eli, running back to her side and grabbing her hand, and an unfamiliar man, who seemed like they were the doctor.

"Amazing... This is really amazing..." She could hear the doctor say. She felt Eli's hand on hers, rubbing her thumb across the back of it. It was the same warmth from the one in the other world...

"Tojo-san, can you hear me?" The doctor asked. Nozomi tried to nod yes, but only manged to move a tiny bit. Luckily, it was enough. "Good, good. I have some news to break to you, and it may be hard to hear, but Tojo-san, back on January 20, 2017, you were in a terrible car accident involving a drunk driver. It's now September 16, 2020, meaning, you've been in a coma for over three years."

The information seemed to go in one ear and out the other. She thought her ears were also playing tricks on her, but it would explain why Eli looked so different.

But three years? She was in a coma for three years? She didn't know how to react. She wondered how she looked, being like this for so long.

"Ayase-san here has been by your side almost 24/7 since the accident happened. I tried to send her home so she could get some good rest but she refused to leave. If I'm telling the truth, if it wasn't for her persistence, I'm not sure if the hospital would've waited all these years..."

Both in her dreams and in real life, Eli had been with her, helping her through everything. She was glad she had her. Without her, she probably wouldn't have made it.

"Nozomi... I'm glad that you finally woke up."


	4. Epilogue

Nozomi edged forward, using the walker the hospital provided as support.

"Come on, Nozomi! You're getting there!" Eli cheered from not far in front of her.

It had only been a month since she woke up. Nozomi still believed it was a miracle she woke up how she did. Most others in her situation wouldn't have remembered as much as she did. Her memory was hazy, almost as if they all were just from a dream, she didn't seem to have forgotten anything too important.

It was a slow process, but she managed to take a step forward. Even after the month of the therapy, it was still a struggle.

In a couple more minutes and a few more steps, Nozomi had finally managed to make it down the hall, and to Eli.

"Good job, Nozomi! I'm so proud!"

"Heh, thanks." She replied with a smile. "I'm sorry I'm not going to be able to walk out of here on your birthday, though, Elichi..."

"No, no, don't worry about it, Nozomi. Seeing you walk again is more than enough for me."

"Once I'm out of here, I promise to make up for those birthdays I missed then, alright?" Nozomi said with a smile.

"Alright. I'm looking forward to it." Eli replied. She caressed Nozomi's cheek, looking at her with eyes filled with love.

"So now we have to walk back to the room..." Nozomi sighed. "I better get to it or we'll be standing here forever."

Slowly, Nozomi made her way back to her hospital room. It was a tedious and tiring process, but with Eli by her side, nothing would stop her. When she arrived back at the room, she allowed Eli to help her back onto the bed. Even after that full month of therapy walking down and hall and back was exhausting. Nozomi sat up in her bed and looked at Eli, who still sat by her side.

"Elichi, you really are amazing. It's hard to believe that you waited all these years for me, even when you didn't know if I really was going to wake up. Even in my dreams you were the one who guided me through it. I really, really love you and once again, happy birthday!" Nozomi said, tears forming in her eyes.

As Nozomi finished, the doors to her room opened. She looked last Eli and at the door, greeted by the once again familiar, but different faces

"Hello, Nozomi, Eli." The first person, Maki, greeted. Behind her were the six other members, flooding the room behind her. Nozomi had seen them once before today, but it was only a quick meeting. Now, she could see how beautiful all of them truly grew to be.

"Hi, everyone." Nozomi smiled, wiping the tears from her eyes. At once, everyone said their hellos, Rin especially bringing the energy to the room. Even though she was now 18, she was just as energetic as she was three years ago.

"Oh, what's that?" Nozomi asked, noticing a box in Honoka's hands.

The girls looked at each other for a moment before shouting in synch, "Happy birthday, Eli!"

"We decided to visit you two here so that everyone could celebrate Eli's birthday together." Umi explained afterwards. "While our µ's days are over, we still are a group. We're not us if one person is left out."

"Aw, thank you Umi-chan." Nozomi smiled. Honoka walked over to the table besides Nozomi and Eli and sat the box down. Eli watched with sparkling eyes as she opened the box, revealing the chocolate cake.

"Wow... Did you make this, Honoka?" Eli asked in awe.

"We all had some part in making it, even Maki-chan." Nico answered with a snicker towards the end. "No one's too big of a challenge for the super idol Nico-nii to teach, but she came close."

"Nico-chan..." Maki's eyebrows twitched at the comment. Nozomi chuckled at the two, still like this after those three years.

"That's really amazing. Thank you, everyone."

Hanayo walked over and reached into a bag she was carrying and pulled out some paper plates and plastic forks.

"Thanks, Hanayo-chan! Let's get into it!"

Everyone sang for Eli, especially Nozomi. Everyone here together brought tears to Eli's eyes. After the song, Honoka cut the cake and distributed the slices to everyone.

When Nozomi took a bite of her cake, she was in heaven. It had been so long since she ate something so delicious, mainly living off the hospital food the past month, aside from a few snacks Eli would bring her.

After the cake, they chatted among themselves. Everyone filled Nozomi in on what has been happening outside the hospital and told their misadventures throughout the years she missed. Nozomi had missed it, but Nico had actually began her career as an idol. She knew Nico wasn't as popular as she would like to admit, but for only being 21, she was doing a great job at gaining popularity.

The others had followed their passions as well. Maki started going to a medical school to pursue being a surgeon and Kotori had been going to a school of arts to become a clothing designer. She knew just about everyone's pathway besides Eli. Knowing her though, she was probably always with her throughout those years. With that in mind, she decided it would be best to not ask about it.

Once they were done talking, they slowly began to leave the two alone once again.

"Happy birthday, Elichi. I love you." Nozomi said affectionately.

"I love you too, Nozomi. I'm glad that I can spend my birthday with you." Eli responded, just as fond. Eli moved closer to Nozomi, holding her hand gently and leaning in to kiss her. Nozomi leaned in as well connecting her lips with Eli's. If she missed one thing, it had to be this feeling.

They both ended the kiss at the same time, resting their forehead on each other's. She loved Eli with all her heart and she was glad she waited.

Nozomi wasn't released until December, just in time for Christmas. She was excited to finally be able to see how the city changed when she was in the coma.

Eli walked out of the hospital with Nozomi, hand in hand. It was wintertime, cold but beautiful. Luckily, Eli had given her some of her clothes, along with a warm jacket.

"I have my own place now. It's a bit small, but I tried to make it more comfortable to live in." Eli explained, continuing to guide Nozomi to the bus stop. "I also decorated it a bit for Christmas, so I hope you'll like it."

"Of course I will. Thank you, really, Elichi."

They continued to walk to the bus stop and waited for the bus to come to the stop. Once it arrived, they got on and chose a seat for the two of them.

Nozomi was surprised by how much has changed in the city. There were the places she recognized, but so much around them has changed.

"We get off at the next stop." Eli whispered in her ear, the quietness on the bus making it seem like the thing to do.

"Okay."

The bus slowly came to a stop and the two stood up and began walking again. Too much walking did tire Nozomi quickly, but luckily, there wasn't too much. It was only a few minutes until they arrived at Eli's apartment complex. Eli dug in her purse for her key and opened the door once she found them.

"You can go inside. It's your home too." Eli said, holding the door open for Nozomi. "The light switch is on the right."

Nozomi looked over at Eli and then back inside the room, walking inside and hitting the light switch. The entry hall was connected to the living room, which was beautifully decorated with Christmas decor. There was a small tree in the corner of the room, strung with lights and sparkling with ornaments.

"Wow, Elichi... This is gorgeous." Nozomi murmured. Eli closed the door behind her and walked besides Nozomi, wrapping her arm around her side.

"I'm glad you like it." Eli smiled. "How about we start a warm bath for us while I turn on the heater and wait for it the warm up the house?"

"Sounds good. It is pretty cold still..."

"Okay! Do you want to start the water?"

"Sure. Which room is it?" Nozomi asked, beginning to turn around.

"The second door on the right." Eli answered, turning around as well. "Tell me if you need help with anything. I'm going in the bedroom to get the heater."

"Alright!" Nozomi replied, walking into the bathroom. She turned on the lights and walked over to the tub. While the apartment was small, it actually had a nice tub. She pressed a couple buttons and the water began to start pouring out of the faucet. She ran her hand under the water, feeling the temperature. Seeing that it was warm, she walked away from the tub and into the living room, knowing it would stop once it was filled.

She saw Eli testing the heat of the heater.

"That's a pretty nice tub for a small apartment like this." Nozomi commented, sitting besides the heater with Eli.

"Yeah! I was really surprised when I saw it." Eli answered. "Oh, let me get you a towel and some clothes. Tomorrow, let's go shopping and get you some new clothes."

Eli got up and walked over to the bathroom, opening the closet in front of it. She pulled out two towels and set them in the bathroom, before going to the bedroom and getting some comfortable and warm clothes for Nozomi.

"The tub's done as well, if you're ready to go in." Eli told her. Nozomi got up from her seat by the heater and took her jacket off.

"Thanks, Elichi." Nozomi said, walking past Eli into the bathroom. Nozomi shut the door behind her so she could remove her clothing. She quickly stepped into the bath, wanting to gain warmth as soon as possible. Now in the warm bath, she began to examine her body.

She knew they were there before, but never fully got to look at them. The somewhat unfamiliar scars were scattered around her body. Nozomi brought her knees up to her chest and dragged her finger across the ones on her knees.

She heard a knock on the door and then it slid open, Eli walking in, a towel wrapped around her.

"Hi, I hope you don't mind, but I'm coming in as well."

Nozomi stopped what she was doing and turned her back to Eli, a bit ashamed of her scarred body.

"I-It's alright." She stammered. She heard the water splash besides her as Eli stepped into the bathtub besides her.

"It's been a while since we've done something like this together." She heard Eli sigh from besides her. Nozomi nodded, suddenly feeling too embarrassed to say anything back. She focused her attention back onto the raised, discolored flesh.

The water besides her swished as Eli moved closer. Eli hugged her from behind, kissing her gently on the shoulder.

"E-Elichi?!" Nozomi gasped, now even more embarrassed at the contact.

"Don't be ashamed or embarrassed of those scars. No matter what, you'll always be beautiful in my eyes."

Nozomi's face went bright red. She didn't know what to say after that. All she could do was hide her face in her hands. Eli giggled at that. She backed away from Nozomi slightly and guided her head to face her. Nozomi peeked out of her hands and was kissed on the forehead by Eli.

"Let's relax a bit. You deserve it."

Once the two finished, they sat in front of the heater under a blanket. Nozomi was glad she was able to do such simple things with Eli. Even though they both were technically adults, she liked feeling like she was still a teenager. Being with Eli always made her feel like she was still a student at Otonokizaka.

Not long after, Christmas came. The whole day, the two were out; shopping, going out to eat, and finally walking the streets at night and looking at the Christmas lights together.

Eli stopped underneath the giant Christmas tree, which was the main attraction of the light show they were at. She could clearly see Eli's face, which was glowing due to the bright white lights of the Christmas tree.

"I got this a while ago and I told myself I would do this once you got out of your coma, so I've been waiting for the perfect time." Eli started. Nozomi could tell she was nervous. Eli began to dig in her jacket pocket, beginning again once she pulled out the small box.

"While this isn't that fancy or anything, and we can't officially get married yet, I was wondering..." She opened the box, revealing the simple, yet beautiful ring, the single diamond glittering in the lights. "Nozomi, will you stay with me forever?"

Nozomi's heart pounded against her chest. She could feel the tears start the stream down her face, the happiness overwhelming her. She jumped into Eli, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"Of course, Elichi!" Nozomi cried. Eli smiled and hugged Nozomi back. Nozomi pulled away and kissed Eli. She knew they were creating a scene but at this moment, she didn't care. She was too happy to care about what the people around them thought, not that they mattered anyways.

"I love you so much, Elichi!"

"I love you too, Nozomi."

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ **Thank you for all the good reviews on the story! I'm glad I was actually able to cause people to cry, which was one of my goals upon publishing this lol. I managed to finish this story since I was so passionate about it, but I'm still unsure of my others... but I'll try my best. Anyways, thanks for reading 'til the end and I love you all (≧∇≦)b**


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